Sovereignty arrives for Oaklawn Handicap; Journalism gallops

HOT SPRINGS, Ark. – A pair of equine stars lit up an overcast Tuesday morning at Oaklawn Park, as 2025 Horse of the Year Sovereignty rolled into the stable area about the same time Journalism was out on the track preparing for their clash in Saturday’s Grade 2, $1.25 million Oaklawn Handicap.

Sovereignty, who won last year’s Kentucky Derby and Belmont Stakes, and Journalism, who captured the Preakness, are both scheduled to make their 4-year-old debuts Saturday. They are part of a field of six for the Oaklawn Handicap, which also drew $7.7 million earner White Abarrio, the Grade 1-placed Publisher, Grade 3 winner Liberal Arts, and recent allowance winner Duke of Duval.

The Oaklawn Handicap is part of a 12-race card that begins at 12:45 p.m. Central. The race will be supported by the $200,000 Bathhouse Row, which guarantees a Preakness berth and is being run at the same 1 1/8-mile distance of the Oaklawn Handicap, and the $200,000 Valley of the Vapors.

Sovereignty is the 123-pound highweight for the Oaklawn Handicap, which will be his first start since his display of dominance winning the Travers by 10 lengths in August at Saratoga. He shipped in from South Florida.

“We need to get started,” trainer Bill Mott said of Sovereignty’s campaign.

:: Live racing action at Oaklawn Park! DRF Past Performances and Picks are available now.

Journalism arrived Sunday from Southern California and handled the travel well, trainer Michael McCarthy said. He was out for a gallop Tuesday, backtracking to the eighth pole and turning around and going about his business on a morning in the high 60s. Journalism’s major prep work was done at Santa Anita.

“He’ll just have a couple of routine gallops, school a time or two,” McCarthy said. “This is all old hat to him.”

The forecast for Saturday has been fluid. As of Tuesday morning, AccuWeather was calling for a 70 percent chance of some showers and a heavy thunderstorm. The afternoon high is predicted to be in the 60s.

Sovereignty is proven on fast and wet tracks.

“He’s won a couple of big races on [wet tracks], a very, very muddy Derby,” Mott said. “But you know, I think we’d all probably prefer to run on a fast racetrack.”

White Abarrio, who arrived Monday, Journalism, and Duke of Duval have all placed on wet tracks. Publisher and Liberal Arts have both won on wet tracks. Liberal Arts will be the last horse to arrive on the grounds for the Oaklawn Handicap.

Oaklawn plans to open the infield on Saturday if the weather permits, according to track executive Chris Ho. He said plans are for a full slate of infield activities, including a kids’ zone.

“Attendance projection hopes are high,” Ho said. “With this big race, we are hearing of many people making a special trip to Oaklawn from out of state to see this big race. We saw a crowd of 40,000 for Apple Blossom Day and expect to see a similar crowd this Saturday. Good weather always helps us with a higher crowd lift.”

The Oaklawn Handicap is scheduled as race 11, with an approximate post time of 6:20 p.m. Central. The race continues the Racing Festival of the South, when Oaklawn conducts a number of major stakes over the final stretch of its meet that ends May 2.

:: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.